


Head Over Heels

by ReturnToZero



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: I Scream, I die, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety, Misunderstandings, Miu still has a potty mouth, Oumoron, Shuichi is shy, Soul tattoos, Soulmate AU, Sumb, This is dumb I'm sorry, but then it picks up, for Saiouma Exchange, for recipient #29, i hope you enjoy, ouma is ouma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 02:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15427128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReturnToZero/pseuds/ReturnToZero
Summary: Why do we say we're head over heels when we're happy? Isn't that the way we normally are?***For recipient #29 for the saioumaexchange.





	Head Over Heels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Recipient #29](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Recipient+%2329).



> This is for the Saiouma exchange for participant number 29! I hope you enjoy it since I really struggled with it a lot. I apologize for any grammatical errors, I suck at betaing my own work.
> 
> And special thank you to @saioumaexchange for even setting up this whole thing, you rock my socks!

Ever since Shuichi was born, he had a strange sentence written on his left arm. 

 

The clean letters sat across his inner forearm, just above his elbow in a font similar to an old typewriter. His parents were perplexed but didn’t really know what to think of it. Still, nothing in this world was guaranteed. It was considered normal to have a sentence that is uttered by your soulmate, but it was never a guarantee. There were cases of tattoos fading or smudging if relationships began to crumble. Even cases of it disappearing completely. Sometimes it changed to something else entirely, or sometimes it never changed at all after it disappeared... Soul Tattoos were only possibilities, not absolutes.

  
  


Shuichi still had the same soul tattoo once he reached the age of five and he learned to appreciate the sentence more. It’s certainly a weird little thing, but when he gets the urge to see it, he doesn’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves to read the words—

  
  


_ Why do we say we're head over heels when we're happy? Isn't that the way we normally are? _

  
  


Shuichi knew it was an utterly strange thought but he can’t help but find humor in it. Then again, the statement wasn’t entirely wrong, and that’s what makes it so clever. It’s funny because it’s a  _ valid question _ that no one would think about. Or at least, no one who wasn’t ready to look at the world in a lot of different ways. It’s playful. He found it endearing.

 

  
But as he looked at the retro font once more he can’t help but feel weighed down by the countless talks he’s had with his parents. 

  
  


They talked about how often times the first sentence the person ever uttered to you would be their corresponding soul tattoo. Shuichi kept this in mind, as it now made the sentences written on his hand feel like there was more to unpack, a mystery just waiting to be solved. Who would say something like that to someone they had just met? Not even a ‘Hello’ or a funny pick up line. His parents seem to think that this current potential soulmate might be a foreigner or someone who does not have a good grasp on the language. To which they don’t hide their distaste for at all, asking if the tattoo has faded and telling Shuichi to focus on school and forget about all that soulmate stuff.

  
  


He reminded them that no, the tattoo has yet to change at all.

  
  


They just roll their eyes at the silly little write-off and make it seem like his partner is clearly an idiot. His friends think the same thing, and even start making jokes about it. Shuichi has a feeling it isn’t true, but hearing it over and over again makes him not want to show people anymore. He starts wearing long-sleeved shirts so he doesn’t expose his weak heart to that kind of ridicule. 

  
  


Shuichi busied himself with detective work thanks to his uncle and soon begins to lose faith in the world. He put on the hat soon after, no longer wanting to meet the gaze of others and see the kinds of things he sees in others. 

  
  


Yes he was helping people, but at the same time, he was hurting them too. Justice was strange. He wanted it to be black and white but there was no denying that he could tell nothing was as easy as it seemed. Still- he managed to get recruited to Hope’s Peak Academy, baffled at how such a prestigious school would accept such a novice detective like himself. He considered himself lucky.

  
  


There was no way he could turn down this opportunity. His parents are finally happy that he’s done something right for once, and he knew that turning this down would only make them even more disappointed. Still, Shuichi wondered if he could keep up with the rigor and expectations laid out before him, pulling the brim of his cap down over his eyes as he makes his first steps on campus. 

 

It goes as well as it can, with him barely able to stutter out a greeting before keeping his head down and doing his best to be a good student. There are a lot of interesting people in his class with crazy talents, and he wondered if he really belonged. Thankfully everyone seemed to be fairly nice, in their own ways. Still though, there’s a disconnect that he can’t quite explain. Shuichi had always been a wallflower, and he couldn’t change that fact overnight.

  
  


So he does what he knows best, he observed his classmates.

  
  


He managed to figure out how to be with each of them, how to talk to them and what to say to get them on their good side. They do manage to surprise him though, with some of their more nuanced ideas but there was one classmate that he still had trouble figuring out—

  
  


It’s been more than a month and he still doesn’t know how to deal with Kokichi Ouma, Ultimate Supreme Leader.

  
  


He was interesting. Definitely had a very interesting way of looking at the world. More than willing to do paradigm shifts regularly, even to his own ideas. And ever-changing enigma who not only questioned everything but also gave nothing. Truly the human embodiment of a mystery if Shuichi ever saw one.

  
  


Kokichi was really the strangest one out of all of them, at least in Shuichi’s eyes. And to top it all of, he was  **_insufferable_ ** . Shuichi really couldn’t pin him down, unsure of how to approach such someone who only ever lied to the moon and back. 

  
  


He gets pulled from his musings when suddenly Kokichi starts wailing about something or another. Shuichi turned in his chair and watched with the rest of his classmates as Kiibo and Miu have what seemed to be a standoff with the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

  
  


Kokichi easily turned on his crocodile tears for his class, whining loudly, “You guys are all bullies! Mean mean mean! Waaaaaah!” 

  
  


Still, even though he knew Kokichi was faking it he couldn’t help but want to console him. Shuichi always hated when people cried. He could never fully rule out the possibility of someone hurting, and would hate himself if he saw someone in tears and ignored them without even attempting to console them. And so, the shy detective quietly made his way to Kokichi’ side, patting his shoulder gently to try to assuage the liar extraordinaire.

 

Kokichi instantly clung to the taller boy, letting his tears start to slow to only a trickle as he spoke to the traitors. “My beloved Shuichi-chan is the only one that’s nice to me!” 

  
  


Shuichi offered a small smile, his hat still obscuring one of his eyes despite his body tensing in discomfort from the sudden hug. Ouma looked up at him, with those glittering purple eyes and for a second, Shuichi thought he has done the right thing. The detective figured that maybe Kokichi would appreciate the gesture, and 

  
  


But an opportunity has presented itself, and Kokichi would not let it go to waste.

  
  


Ouma easily plucked the hat off, revealing Shuichi’s gorgeous face for all. He finally shut off the tears, in favor of a small smile at his beloved detective. “Shuichi-chan is my absolute favorite from the class, so I guess it makes sense that he would come to my aid!” 

  
  


A wild blush bloomed across Shuichi’s cheeks, how could he be Kokichi’s favorite if they barely interacted at all? Maybe this was another lie, but it was one that caught him off guard. 

  
  


“Wow! Shuichi-chan is so cute when he blushes!” Kokichi giggled his expression easily becoming mischievous as he sees an opening.

  
  


Shuichi immediately regretted everything, realizing that he had in fact  _ done the wrong thing _ . The leader managed to hold the hat just out of Shuichi’s grasp, every time Shuichi moved to grab it Ouma was already moving away from him again, creating an impromptu game of cat and mouse. 

  
  


The detective could hear some of his classmates laugh at his inability to reclaim his hat. Others were already berating Ouma, but he would simply laugh and kept his eyes on his current prey. Still, Shuichi grew redder with every remark, and even more so when he became hyper-aware of everyone’s gaze. Ouma’s nasty streak was like a fire that Shuichi has accidentally lit, but somehow everything he does only feed the flames-

  
  


Kokichi was relentless as he continued to tease him, easily making him dive for his hat only to provide him with nothing. “OMG, look! He’s blushing more! Shuichi-chan, are you trying to be the cutest person ever?” 

  
  


Shuichi choked out a whine, unsure of whether to hide his face or keep going for his hat. “Ouma-kun,  _ please _ .” 

  
  


Ouma’s eyes glitter with cruelty, “Nishishi, I think he’s inventing a new shade of red right now! We’re making history Shuichi-chan!” 

  
  


Finally Shuichi succumbed to his embarrassment, covering his face with his hands as he sputtered incoherently. It almost makes him feel bad, but he can’t be blamed! It’s not his fault that Shuichi was absolutely precious when embarrassed! 

  
  


Ouma finally comes close to the other male, pulling his head down into his chest so that he can hide his face in his scarf. He gently balanced the hat back onto his head and pouted at his classmates. 

  
  


“Wow, you all are so mean! Look, now you made my beloved Shuichi-chan embarrassed! Apologize right now.” 

  
  


Everyone sighed at his antics, and Maki made a large show of rolling her eyes him. “We all know you’re the one at fault. By the way, I don’t think you’re helping.” 

  
  


Ouma savored what little time he had left before Shuichi squirmed out of his hold. He smiled brightly at the detective as he put on his trusty cap and covers those beautiful eyes from sight-

  
  


“Yay, Shumai-chan is back to normal!” He instantly turned away from Shuichi and put on an angry face, balling his hands into fists, “And next time I catch you hooligans messing with Shumai I won’t just let you off with a warning!” 

  
  


The class simply brushed off Ouma’s misplaced blame and returned back to their usual lives. Shuichi was more than ready to scurry off and try to erase this event from his memory. He would repress it until some inconvenient time, and then cry as his brain forced him to relieve the experience because that's how his anxiety liked to torment him. 

  
  


Even though everyone else probably didn’t think it was a big deal, his brain seemed to think it was, and Shuichi was aware that it was probably irrational but he felt bad. He didn’t think that Ouma would be mean enough to take his only comfort item away and make him look like a fool in class while looking so happy about it. He knew Kokichi was playful but that was too far.   
  


 

Still, it replayed over and over in his head, so much that he forgets to eat his lunch. 

  
  


It even drowned out the lecture his teacher was attempting to give, and finally Shuichi doesn’t think he can hold it in anymore. He pulled his cap further down and timidly raised his hand so he can be excused to the restroom. Shuichi nearly runs to the bathroom, but only managed to keep a brisk pace since he knew Tanaka was patrolling the halls during this period.    
  


  
Thankfully the bathroom is empty, so he let out a few tears and began to roll down his sleeve so he could at least find a bit of joy in the words. He wiped his tears and looked down at his forearm—

  
  


Only to find the words smudged.    
  


  
Panic rose in his heart at the sight, wondering why such a thing was happening. It might be something completely out of his control, but Shuichi hated that it had to happen now. 

  
  


His mood continued to sink and he trudged through the rest of week, feeling like he was helpless to fight his anxiety and the possibility of losing his soul tattoo. Yet he refused to say anything about it to anyone, simply doing his best to act the same as he usually did. Friends noticed, but it was easy to convince them that he simply didn’t sleep well the night before or that he was under some stress that would pass soon.   
  


  
So when Ouma approached him at lunchtime, he was a bit confused at what Kokichi would want to talk to him about—

  
  


“Hey Shumai!” Kokichi smiled as he bounced over, clearly not stopping when he was supposed to and nearly knocking him over.

  
  


“Ah, Hello Kokichi.” Arms wrapped around him before Shuichi could protest, his brain already on alert mode for Kokichi’s lies.

  
  


“So I got pretty lucky today at the club fundraising event the upperclassmen decided to throw!” Kokichi flashed him two tickets to the new Chinese restaurant that opened up just a few blocks away from the school, smirking proudly. 

  
  


Shuichi smiled, “Oh, that’s nice.”   
  


  
Ouma and Shuichi share an awkward stare. Then Ouma burst out into laughter and Shuichi already feels himself dying internally at his anxiety.   
  


  
“I guess I’ll just leave you to it then—”

  
  


Ouma pouted, tears sprung to his eyes and making them shine in the light. “Wow, Shuichi-chan is such a meanie, not even letting me finish! Waaaaah!”

  
  


Shuichi hated that he felt the need to console, even though Ouma was very very clearly faking it. Still, he figured the sooner he got him to stop, the sooner he would be able to leave to brood in peace.

  
  


Shuichi decided to pat Ouma on the head this time, if he was going to be childish then it was only fair that he would be treated like one—

  
  


Ouma doesn’t ever seem to go with his plans though, “Ah, is Shumai petting me?”

  
  


Shuichi can’t respond in time and is attacked again with another hug, “Yaaaaay, that must mean we’re good friends, huh?”   
  


  
“Well, I just—”

  
  


Kokichi has stars in his eyes as he continued, “If you don’t come with me to the restaurant I’ll keep crying until you say yes!”   
  


  
Shuichi blanched, of course Ouma knew that he was weak even to fake tears. There was really no way out of it. He sighed and nodded, Kokichi only cheering and telling him to meet him after school at the front gates.

  
  


It doesn’t go as badly as Shuichi anticipated. They meet up and walk together and Kokichi asked him all kinds of questions, even some pretty ridiculous ones like  _ If you lick the air, does it get wet? _ and  _ If nobody buys a movie ticket, do they still show it?  _ The questions are so out of left field that Shuichi finds himself wondering about them too, even though he has no idea to any of the answers. By the time they arrive at the place, Shuichi’s face hurts from smiling too much. 

  
  


The time at the restaurant is actually pleasant. They talk a lot about a lot of random things and Shuichi finally is able to calm down. They eat and even share a plate of gyoza and simply enjoy everything the restaurant has to offer. Shuichi sighed contentedly as he finished off his plate, a bit surprised when Ouma grabbed the menu to look over the desserts section—

  
  


“You still want more? I thought you said you were stuffed earlier.”   
  


  
Ouma frowned, “Yes and no.” Strangely enough, the smaller teen began to struggle with his words. Shuichi sat up a bit more, realizing that Kokichi was trying to say something so he should probably pay attention-

  
  


“Share it with me, since I owe you.”

  
  


Shuichi shook his head, “No you don't. I haven’t lent anything to you or done anything-”

  
  


The glare he got from that statement makes Shuichi shut his mouth. “I don’t mean that way. I…” Again Kokichi kicks his legs and made a bit of a pout at some random corner of the restaurant before finally facing Shuichi again.

  
  


“I made you upset. So upset that you’ve been down all week.”

  
  


Shuichi blinked, not missing a beat. “But you piss off everyone all the time and you usually don’t care.”

  
  


Kokichi groaned and slammed his hands on the table, dropping the menu entirely as he began talking faster than Shuichi thought was physically possible—

  
  


“ _ OkyeahIdoandit’susuallyfunnybutforsomereasonthistimeIfeltbad?”  _

  
  


Kokichi picked up the menu and simply pointed to something on it, despite it being on the entree page. “So shut up and split a crystal cake with me!” 

  
  


Shuichi pieced that rush of a sentence and found it to instantly warm his heart. He’d never thought Kokichi would actually apologize, so this was an interesting development. Kokichi Ouma, always a mystery.

  
  


“Fine.” Shuichi smiled at him, unsure of whether or not it was right to tell the other boy this, but getting caught up in the moment. “I also was pretty bummed about my soul tattoo, but I guess I’ll just get used to it too.”

  
  


The detective doesn’t feel the need to share anything more, and the waitress comes and Kokichi ordered the translucent, glittery pastry for them to enjoy. Before Kokichi can comment on his previous statement, Shuichi excused himself to the restroom.

  
  


Again, the urge to look at his soul tattoo possessed him and he sighed, ready to see his smudged and fading soul tattoo-

  
  


_ Why do we say we're head over heels when we're happy? Isn't that the way we normally are? _

  
  


Shuichi stared down at the words, now clear and perfectly legible.    
  


  
This development was… strange.    
  


  
It wasn’t like that before. When had it changed? Shuichi touched the ink on his skin, but it was there, not smudging despite his fingers still being wet from the sink. He rubbed at the letters with his damp finger but still, they didn't smudge like before, just like a soul tattoo wouldn't get smudged. It was absolutely peculiar, and he felt like it wasn’t something he should ignore.    
  


  
Relief flooded him though, and he rolled his sleeve back down before rejoining Kokichi for the last pastry. It’s sweeter than he would have liked but it was fitting considering the turn of events. Kokichi seemed to have completely forgotten about anything besides the cake, so Shuichi only laughed when Kokichi began whining about being so stuffed. 

  
  


“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT.” Kokichi groaned dramatically, leaning against the table as he cradled his face in his hands, “I hate you. How dare you convince me of getting dessert? Now I have food coma.”

  
  


“Well, consider this payback.” Shuichi playfully shot back, gripping his hat and readjusting it a bit.

  
  


They let their food settle and Kokichi filled the air with chit-chat when finally Shuichi gets a message from his mother that she is on her way to pick him up. The pair slowly leave the building, and the host shoves fortune cookies into their hands before they exit. She wished them a good night and they parroted back the response before stepping out into the cool autumn night. 

  
  


The dark sky greeted them as the street lamps illuminate the road, and Shuichi was quick to shove his hands into his pockets. He wondered if his mother would take long to arrive, or how Kokichi was planning to get home. He considered offering a ride but again, he doesn't even know how to talk to Kokichi. 

 

“Uhm, ah- so… Uhhh-" Shuichi hated how dumb he sounded, mentally kicking himself for not being able to even ask a damn question like a functioning human being.

  
  


“No I don’t need a ride. My mum is going to pick me up.” 

  
  


“How did you—”

  
  


“Silly Shumai, the author told me.” 

  
  


“The what?” 

  
  


Kokichi snickered into the crisp air, enough that puffs of his warm breath escape through his laughs. “Just kidding! I kinda figured you’d be the type to offer rides, but I already went along and called my mum to come for me.”   
  


  
A pop of plastic and crunch of a wafer made him glance over at the noise, watching as Kokichi tossed everything besides a little piece of paper into the trash. Lilac eyes quickly glance over the note and absorb the fortune, and the expression that followed is actually adorable. His eyes seem to shine brighter than the stars themselves at the words and the soft curl of his lips is unlike any smile he’s seen Kokichi have.    
  


  
The sight made Shuichi’s heart flutter a bit and he wondered why someone so cute would actively want to be a menace to the entire school. Perhaps those alignment charts he saw on tumbles were really a thing.

  
  


Kokichi’s attention finally diverted to him and he looked up at Shuichi with a genuinely curious expression, “ Do you think there’s a time limit on fortune cookie predictions?”   
  


  
Shuichi gave him a strange look. “Uhm, I guess not? I dunno, I don’t really think about them all that much.”

  
  


He watched Kokichi read that little slip of paper again and Shuichi has a feeling it might be something Ouma would deem ‘fun’ or useful. It piqued his interest in the worst of ways. What could that little fortune vaguely promise that would make Kokichi so interested in having become true?

  
  


As soon as the detective tried to lean over and sneak a peek at the message Kokichi has crumpled the fortune and stuffed it into his pocket. “These things are fake anyways, so it’s surprising that a detective like you thought they were real.”

  
  


Shuichi realized his statement did, in fact, assume some truth in the tellings and simply laughed, “Well, no— I know they aren’t real but if they could be real, that would be nice, right?”

  
  


The feeling in the air changed immediately.

  
  


Kokichi simply stared at him with an overly blank expression and Shuichi doesn’t really know what else to say after that. There was a tension that was suddenly erected, but Shuichi had no idea why. Ouma just stared and stared and stared, his eyes stuck on him and nothing else in the glow of the streetlight.  Thankfully his parents arrived in the nick of time and he shuffled a bit towards the car and turned around, “You sure you don’t want me to wait until your mom gets here?”   
  


 

“Huh? Why?” Kokichi hasn’t dropped that blank face yet and it was unnerving the heck out of Shuichi.

  
  


“Just to make sure you get home safe. I would feel bad if I just left you here after all.”   
  


  
Kokichi came back to life, suddenly smiling in a way that made Shuichi’s stomach flip. “She’s almost here, so just go on. I’ll be fine.”

  
  


Shuichi wondered if this was really the truth or a lie. It would be bad if he just left him there, and waiting a bit couldn’t hurt too bad. Besides, the detective expected a lie, so maybe if he stayed long enough he could be there to offer a ride so Kokichi wouldn’t have to walk home—

  
  


So when another car pulled up behind his parents and Kokichi snickered at him it becomes clear that it is indeed the truth.

  
  


“You’re such a dork Shumai. See you later, ok?” Shuichi can barely make out a hint of rosiness on Kokichi’s cheeks in the low light, which only continued to befuddle him. 

  
  


Shuichi nodded, waving a bit dumbly as Kokichi entered the car. Uncharacteristically, Kokichi smiled brightly at the woman driving, clearly trying to ignore Shuichi watching them go. Even the woman driving waved at him while Kokichi.  Shuichi’s mother popped her head out the open window, “Shuichi, please get in the car. We should really be getting home.” 

  
  


The ride home had his head buzzing with too many thoughts. 

  
  


A lot had happened. And all back to back, it was really an eventful week that had him reeling. Kokichi Ouma had a very interesting way of looking at the world. So did his soulmate. After Ouma had upset Shuichi, the tattoo became blurry as well.

  
  
But then as soon as they reconcile at the restaurant, the tattoo was perfectly fine again, clear as day.  It was confusing and it made him wonder if the soulmate tattoo really did have something to do with the events from the day or if it was just a strange coincidence.

  
  


Shuichi sighed and as he got ready for bed he takes off his coat and hears something pop and crunch as soon as he tries to fold it. The detective groaned, realizing that he hadn’t opened his fortune cookie during the whole debacle. He carefully tried to extract the wrapper and the broken cookie without leaving crumbs in the pocket, to no avail. 

  
  
But as soon as he’s done cleaning out the pocket he decides to see what random little fortune decided to be handed off to him—

  
  


_ The one you love is closer than you think. _

  
  


Shuichi laughed and went to sleep, trying to ignore the fact that the first person that comes to mind was the mischievous little prankster. There was no way! The soul tattoo was supposed to be their introduction, Kokichi already introduced himself long ago by crashing into him and asking if robots had dicks.

  
  


It was just a really strange coincidence.

  
  


***

  
  


“Geeze, I dunno, if there's an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that rule too?” Kokichi remarked with a flourish, puffing up his chest and challenging the teacher directly. 

  
  


Shuichi found himself laughing at the statement, and couldn’t contain his smile at the sassy yet clever remark that Kokichi shot back to their teacher. He isn’t alone though when all the planets align perfectly the class sometimes finds Kokichi’s humor funny, and this is one of those rare times.

  
  


Kokichi shot him a wink and Shuichi can’t help but laugh harder, “Mr. Saihara, if you find Mr. Ouma’s sass so funny, how about you answer the question.”

  
  


Ouma was a bad influence, and Shuichi knew this because he was making him get called on more in class for stuff exactly like this.

  
  


“Well even though you told us the general rule, this question outlines the exception to the rule. Meaning that an example of this in evolution would be how something like a slow cone snail can be a predator to fish, and thus must present some adaptation or phenotype that allows for this to be true.”

  
  


The teacher seemed satisfied and simply returned to the lecture they planned. 

  
  


Shuichi received a clap on the back by Akamatsu sitting behind him and he smiled brightly to himself at her wordless support. It’s easier to talk now, and little by little he’s been sharing his voice more with others and even teachers. He doesn’t really know how or where this burst of confidence has been coming from but he’s been able to truly immerse himself in the academy’s school life. 

  
  


Lunch rolled around once more and it’s a strange little group that has formed around him—

  
  


Miu and Kokichi bickering on the right with Kaede and Amami on his left. They form a little circle on the round lunch benches and somehow the topic of love and soul tattoos comes up.

  
  


Amami shrugged, “It’s true. I don’t have one. Never have and I really doubt I will.”

  
  


Shuichi at first felt bad but the way Amami doesn’t seem concerned about it doesn’t make it out to be anything like the tragedy they make it seem like on television.    
  


  
“Besides, I can just surround myself with my friends, and travel the world and not have to be worried about disappointing anyone since the only person I can disappoint is myself.”

  
  


The group is quiet as they digest his response. His confidence and happiness of being unbound were truly inspiring. Then again it was expected, Amami was a really cool dude in general so of course he would make the best of any situation. 

  
  


Miu immediately set her sights on the boy flicking rice at her, “I bet the shouta cuck doesn’t have a tat either!”

  
  


Kokichi stiffened, “Nuh-uh! I have the best tattoo since only the best person would be able to get with someone of my caliber!”

  
  


Miu’s eyes are lit with revenge and she smirked as Kokichi seemed to fall right into her trap, “Oh yeah? I bet you’re too chicken to show us then!”

  
  
“Hell no, I’m not showing it to you. You’re a dirty skank that should keep your nose in your own business.” Kokichi rolled his eyes and starts eating his lunch despite Miu still trying to taunt him. 

  
  


Amami was pulled away by Angie and Kiibo to settle something and Miu bolted as soon as she realized that she needed to finish copying Korekiyo’s history homework. Kaede sadly parted ways with them as she promised to help Tsumugi with student council affairs, leaving only Ouma and Shuichi for the remaining fifteen minutes of their break. 

  
  


They sit in a comfortable silence before Ouma finally spoke up. “Hey… I’m just a little curious about your soul tattoo Shumai.” 

  
  


Shuichi blinked at Ouma, tilting his head a bit. “Really? You’re going back to that?” 

  
  


Ouma laughed not even hiding his crass comment. “Yeah, cause you’re not annoying like the slut for brains.” The Supreme Leader’s expression changed a bit once he finished laughing to something tinged with nervousness. “You actually said something about it being different? But I dropped it since you seemed to not want to talk about it too much.” 

  
  


Shuichi coughed to clear his throat, remembering that evening they went out for food—

  
  


“I did say that, huh? Well it’s fine, it was pretty weird though. But I guess it was just a weird little fluke.” 

  
  


Ouma smiled again, similar to that night, with a soft expression but this time being directed at him. “Ah, that’s cool. Where do you have your tattoo?” 

  
  


Shuichi taps his forearm but doesn't lift his shirt. “Right here. It’s a good spot for it, honestly.” 

  
  


When Shuichi tried to mirror the questions, Ouma was awfully stubborn about keeping them secret. Eventually, through betting via rock, paper, gun; Shuichi managed to find out where Ouma’s soul tattoo was—

  
  


And Miu found out too since she was on her way back from copying so they could walk to class together.

  
  


The inventor howled with laughter, tears streaming down her face as she holds her stomach. Her body racked with laughter, Shuichi was impressed that she even stayed on her feet with how much her laughter was ripping through her!

  
  


“You have it on your lower back? That’s practically a tramp stamp!” 

  
  


“Shut up you ungrateful, conniving little—”

  
  


Miu deflated and scurried away, not wanting to see Ouma’s wrath from the little eavesdropping. Still, Kokichi seemed to be more than happy with his soul tattoo though. It was clear that whoever this person was and their statement to Kokichi really made him a softie. Still though, Kokichi had mentioned to him before that he already knew who his soulmate was but didn’t know if the person actually reciprocated. 

  
  


Whoever they were, they were one hell of a lucky person. Shuichi could almost say he was jealous, but he knew better than that, he still had his soulmate tattoo intact after all. Still, he was Ouma’s friend so he would do his best to be a good friend—

 

Shuichi rose to his feet, patting Ouma on the shoulder as he collected his lunch tray. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your soulmate would like it too. Like how Tenko was head over heels for Himiko despite the soul tattoo being on her scalp instead of somewhere easily accessible.” 

  
  


Ouma immediately clicked his tongue, “ Why do we say we're head over heels when we're happy? Isn't that the way we normally are?” 

  
  


Shuichi slammed his knee into the bench and dropped his tray, making a mess as he cringed from the pain and the realization. Tears sprung to his eyes as he rubbed at the already bruising knee. 

  
  


“What? Why’d you react like that?” Ouma’s lilac eyes widen, “Did I?” 

  
  


Shuichi hissed and whined, but managed to finally sit down again to show off his soul tattoo. Kokichi’s thumb grazed the letter on Shuichi’s forearm and for once he was at a loss for words. 

  
  


“Yeah… I should have known it would be you. You always pose questions like these, but my parents told me it was supposed to be an introduction thing! So I ruled you out since we met and you didn't say this.” 

  
  


Kokichi laughed, “Wow your parents are so cliche. Yeah, that’s the most common that people know right away, but my mom always told me the more accurate way to determine it was by the moment you realize you’re in love.”

  
  


Shuichi gave him a look. “Ok, that was cheesy as heck. Calm down Casanova.” 

  
  


Kokichi sputtered, pouting as he crossed his arms. “No! It’s accurate! That’s how I knew you were my soulmate since that apology dinner thing.” 

  
  


“Why didn’t you say anything then? It’s been four months since we did that.” 

  
  


Kokichi’s face rivaled that of a tomato. “I got nervous, ok? You didn’t do anything that night when I realized it so it was awkward for me. And I thought your tattoo changed already to someone else, and that me trying to look at your pretty eyes blew my chance.” 

  
  


Ouma being flustered made Shuichi both love this reveal but also feel bad. But he was just glad everything worked out. 

  
  


“So that’s why you’ve been trying to get me to ditch the hat? So you can ogle at my face?” 

  
  


Kokichi invented a new shade of red, but Shuichi kept that little comment to himself. “Shut up! You’re dead to me now! Now I gonna run away with Amami and be free of that soulmate life.” 

  
  


The first bell rang and Shuichi and Kokichi scramble to clean up the mess at the table and gather their things for class. As they head off Shuichi approached from behind Ouma, placing his left hand at the small of Kokichi’s back as he leans over to whisper—

  
  


“I really wanna see what kind of font your soul tattoo is.” 

  
  


Kokichi lightly slapped his hand away. “Nasty! You are a sleazeball just like Miu! She’s corrupting you.” 

  
  


Still, their hands laced together as they run to history class without any hesitation.

 


End file.
